A driving support apparatus for providing information about an oncoming vehicle when a vehicle turns right or left is described in JP-A-2005-11249. Here, when the apparatus determines to start providing the information according to only an instruction signal for turning on a blinker, or when the apparatus determines to start providing the information according to both of the instruction signal for turning on the blinker and a distance to the intersection, the apparatus may provide unnecessary information because the vehicle may merely change a traffic lane, or the vehicle may merely pass other vehicles. Thus, the user turns on a blinker not only a case where the vehicle turns right and left but also a case where the vehicle changes the lane or passes other vehicles.
Thus, in JP-A-2005-11249, the apparatus determines to start providing the information about the oncoming vehicle when the vehicle runs on a right side lane and turns on a right blinker. Further, except the following cases, the apparatus does not provide the information unless the right blinker is turning on even after the apparatus determines that the vehicle runs on the right side lane and turns on the right blinker. When the vehicle runs on a right-turn only lane, or when the apparatus detects an operation of the right blinker again, the apparatus provides the information. Thus, the apparatus does not provide unnecessary information when the driver turns on the right blinker to change the lane or to pass other vehicles.
Here, in the above cases, a traffic regulation complies with a left-hand traffic, and a road, on which the vehicle runs, has two lanes each way. When a driver in a country keeps to a right side of a road, the right and left sides are reversed.
In a prior art described in JP-A-2005-11249, a technique is described such that the apparatus notifies whether a pedestrian exists on a crosswalk, which is to be passed after the vehicle turns right at the intersection.
In JP-A-2005-11249, since the apparatus restricts unnecessary information service, the apparatus does not provide the information unless the right blinker is turning on except the right-turn lonely lane and detection of operation of the right blinker again.
However, in view of an actual situation such that the vehicle turns right, passes the intersection, and passes the crosswalk after the right blinker turns on before the intersection, the blinker may turn off since the steering wheel slightly returns. Accordingly, although it is necessary to provide the information, the apparatus may not provide the information.
Although JP-A-2005-11249 teaches a case where the apparatus provides the information when the vehicle turns right, the apparatus may provide the information when the vehicle turns left. In this case, if the condition for providing the information is that the left blinker is turning on, the apparatus may not provide the information although it is necessary to provide the information.